The meat is piled on so generously—it’s over the top in the best way possible!! Taichung turkey slices with rice & squid mutton soup

Text and photos by /Orange Dog Loves Sweets

Although turkey rice isn’t a local specialty of Taichung, I always wanted to find a taste of Chiayi here to satisfy my cravings — it’s really quite an interesting thing. On the surface, it’s just a bowl of turkey rice, but once you leave Chiayi, that flavor completely changes. Currently, my favorite is probably the one recommended to me by a netizen from Chiayi, located on Qingdao Road — [Authentic Turkey Rice]. But actually, on Sanmin Road near Yizhong Street, there’s also this [Dingji Traditional-Style Turkey Rice] that’s pretty excellent. It was also recommended by a Taichung netizen and turned out to be such a great flavor that I ended up eating there for several days in a row before I was satisfied. I thought I’d write a little piece to introduce it too.

This [Dingji Traditional-Style Turkey Rice] is actually in a fairly visible location, right at the corner of a three-way intersection near Yizhong Street. At first, I thought it was a new shop, but it’s been around since 2015 — it just started on Nanjing Road and later moved to Taiping. Personally, I’d recommend coming from Zhonghua Night Market, as it’s more convenient with no need to make U-turns, and parking is easier to find. The shop isn’t big, but business is pretty good. I’ve come here both at noon and in the afternoon, and even during off-peak hours, there were still quite a few customers.

There are only five tables, and although it’s an open space, they’ve thoughtfully installed a TV so you can watch the news while you eat.

The food doesn’t take too long to come out, and although the boss is busy, he’s actually quite friendly — though I often see him only eating lunch in the afternoon.

The menu options are fairly diverse. In addition to turkey rice, they actually also sell mutton thick soup (noodles) and squid thick soup (noodles). It’s quite rare for a typical turkey rice shop to be so “unfocused,” XD, which made me a bit worried at first about whether it would taste good. There are two main options: turkey slice rice and turkey rice. Turkey slice rice is less common outside of Chiayi, and I came here specifically for that.

The prices are slightly higher, but unlike typical turkey rice shops that also offer bento meal combos, almost everything here is à la carte. But what interests me even more is that you can also order a single plate of lamb or blanched squid as a side dish.

[Signature Turkey Slice Rice │ Highly Recommended │ NT$55 (Takeout NT$65)]

One common issue with turkey rice in Taichung is that the chicken is often too dry, the sauce not fragrant enough, and there’s a lack of fried shallots, etc. This bowl is quite different — it has all the essential elements like chicken fat and fried shallots. Compared to regular turkey rice, it’s 20 NT$ more and the meat portion is different too. I’ve only had turkey slice rice in Chiayi at two places: Liu Village Chief and Democracy. Liu Village Chief’s chicken slice rice left a deep impression on me.

This bowl from Dingji also gives you quite generous portions of meat. The whole slice of turkey covers the rice nicely, and the bowl is slightly larger than usual. Instead of pickled radish slices, they use dried radish — the oiliness, tender meat, rich flavor, and how well it pairs with rice are all great. The sauce is flavorful but a bit on the salty side. The texture of the rice is okay, and both the aroma and taste have a strong Chiayi vibe. The saltiness is just slightly a concern for me. But it really is surprisingly delicious, so of course I ended up coming back for several days in a row until I was satisfied.

[Squid Thick Soup with Rice Noodles │ NT$55 │ Available with rice noodles, noodles, or rice]

For the same 55 NT$, this one offers better value. You get freshly blanched squid slices, thick soup, and either rice noodles or rice, and it’s not a small portion either. The squid slices are fresh, tasty, and have a bit of thickness and a nice chewy bite — I really like them.

If you order a single plate of freshly blanched squid, you get quite a lot of slices. For 80 NT$, it comes with a bunch of bean sprouts and mustard soy sauce paste — a real treat in one go.

[Freshly Blanched Satay Lamb Plate │ NT$100 per serving]

It’s a bit pricey, but the portion of meat is decent. It also comes with a lot of bean sprouts underneath, but I’d recommend ordering this plate only if you’re at least two people. The satay sauce is served on the side and needs to be mixed in yourself. The lamb has a firm texture but isn’t tough, and has a bit of fat — not bad.

[Side Dishes │ Chicken Liver NT$30 │ Turkey Meat Plate NT$60]

I later found out that chicken liver is actually fatty liver, which is why it has that slightly pinkish, tender color and smooth texture. It’s quite tasty, though a bit greasy. The turkey meat plate is also quite generous in portion, and the meat quality is the same as in the turkey slice rice.

However, when soaked in the oil sauce, it’s a bit salty when you first bite into it. I’d recommend having it with some rice for the best experience — it’s pretty good.

[Side Dish │ Blanched Greens NT$30]

I ordered this two or three times, and it seems to only be sweet potato leaves. They’re simply blanched and then drizzled with a bit of minced pork sauce. The portion is pretty generous.

Oh, and the chili here is pretty spicy — it seems like no Taiwan street food stall is complete without a fiery chili sauce.

There aren’t many online articles introducing this place. Even after moving twice, it seems no one had discovered this shop before. But it’s never too late to meet a good thing — great flavors always find their way to you. If you like turkey rice, I’d definitely recommend giving this place a try. After eating, you can also head to A-Dou Bo behind the shop for some frozen taro sweet soup, or take a stroll around Yizhong Street nearby.

Dingji Traditional-Style Turkey Rice – Yizhong Street │ Central District
Address: No. 57, Section 3, Sanmin Road, Central District, Taichung City
Phone: 04-22238667
Business Hours: 10:30 AM – 6:00 PM
Note: No days off, no delivery service

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